Sheriff gives inside look at new jail progress

GIBSON COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT)- Construction on the new jail and sheriff’s office in Gibson County is nearing completion. The new facility is set to open this fall and is an answer to a federal lawsuit concerning overcrowding at the current jail.

“The impression that we are getting from people coming through here is that yeah, this is a really big building on the outside, but it’s even bigger on the inside,” says Gibson County Sheriff Bruce Vanoven.

Located along East Brumfield Avenue, the facility is 80% complete. It will have a new intake center, hold 210 inmates, and have a special area for inmates with disabilities.

“We have places where they can be kept safe from predators or being prey for other people,” Sheriff Vanoven says.

Some cells have multiple beds, and each one has its own toilet and shower and is designed to prevent suicide.

“So you are not going to see where they hang themselves because there is nothing there to do that. It is not impossible to kill yourself in jail, but we are going to do everything we can to keep people safe,” says Sheriff Vanoven.

Upstairs is an area the sheriff calls “The Crows Nest”, where corrections officers can have a birdseye view of all the cells and recreation area.

“We will have computer screens that hang up where we can see every room, but if we have a problem in one of our cells, and we can see it on video, we can just walk over and see exactly right in there,” says Sheriff Vanoven.

The new facility will also house the new sheriff’s office and dispatch center, along with a secured armory room, as well as evidence and interview rooms, detective offices, and rooms for virtual court hearings.

“Our medical suite here will have a nurse, a doctor, and any other medical professionals we house here, and next is our medical examination room. So we have our doctor’s office and an exam room next to it,” says Sheriff Vanoven.

Sheriff Vanoven says the new facility costs $30 million. He hopes to open the facility later this fall and move inmates in early next year.

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